Method of shaping shoe-upper materials



June 16, 1925.

E. A. HOLMGREN METHOD OF SHAPING SHOE UPPER MATERIALS Filed Jan. V5', 1922 Patented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

nnrc A. HOLMGREN, or LYNN, irnssaonusnr'rs, Assmnon T UNITED S I-IOEMA CHINEBY oonronnrion, or Paras-son, NEW JERSEY, A CORPDBATION on NEW JERSEY.

OF SHAPING SHOE-UPPER MATERIALS.

Application filed January 3, 1922. Serial No. 526,599..

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, Euro A. HoLMonnN, a citizen of the Unlted States, residing at i Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of i Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Methods of Shaping Shoe- Upper Materials, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indieating like partsin the several figures.

This invention relates to the manufacture of boots and shoes, and particularly to the shaping of the upper materials. The invention herein illustrated in its'a 'ipiication to theshaping ol the toes oi welt shoe uppers,

but it will be recognized that in many of its aspects the invention is not limited to the shaping of the toe portion of the upper materials nor to welt shoe work.

I In the manufacture of welt and other types of shoes it is important that the shape imparted to the upper materials be substantially maintained until they are permanently secured to the insole. In welt shoe work, for example, where the marginal portion of the upper materials is shaped toconform substantially to the angle between the featlr er and the rib of the insole, it is important to guard against any substantial distortion of the angular shape prior to the inseam sewing operation. Where stiffening material is included in the toe end porticnoit upper materials to produce what is termed a box toe, the stiffening material, by reason of its adhesive properties and its comparative rigidity after hardening, assists in maintaining the shape imparted to the upper i materials and in preventing undesirable separation between different layers of the materials, for example between the leather upper and the lining. In welt shoe work, how ever, it has usually been the practice to apply a wire binder about the toe end of the upper to assist further in maintaining the angular shape of the marginal portion of the upper materials until they are secured to the insole, although it has been proposed, as disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,389,678, granted on September 6, 1921, upon an invention of R. F. McFeely, to rely upon the stifiening material tohold the welt shoe upper in shape without the use of a in shape.

extraneous fastening means round the end of the toe. i

In its application to aimethod which dispenses substantially with extraneous fastening means about the end of theupper, as illustrated by said prior patent, and in other relations, the present invention has for an object to afford better insurance than heretofore against distortion of the shape of upper materials in the interval between the uppershaping and upper securing operations. in its accomplishment oi thisand other ohyects, the invention provides tor util zing cementltious matter, for example adhesive material such as is usually incorporated in box toe stifl'eners, incontact with one or more edge surfaces on the upper materials to assist in holding the materials In practicing the method of the invention in the manner herein illustrated openings are provided in the leather upper in locations where upper shaping pressure isapplied, and in the application of such pressure thestiflening material lying between the leather upperand the lining is made to flow into these openingsto serve by engagement with the walls or edges of the openings as holding means when the stifi'eir ing material has hardened and the upper shaping pressure has been relaxed. For shaping thetoe end portion of welt shoe upper materials the openings may advantageously be formed, as herein illustrated,

in that portion of the margin of the toe of the upper which is shaped to provide a flange substantially perpendicular to the plane of the insole. I It will be evident that, with the openings formed in this 1ocation, the hardened stiiiening material presents in each opening a projection extending from the body of the stiffener in parallel relation to the plane of the shoe bottom, which assists in holding the upstanding flange of the upper not only from springing outwardly but also from springing upwardly, and thus further insures that the desired angle between the upstanding flange and the portion of the upper which is shaped to lie upon the feather of the insole will be maintained until the upper is secured to the insole.

The novel methodo't the invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings,

which illustrate one manner in which the invention may be practiced, and will be pointed outin the claims.

The invention is herein illustrated in its application to the molding of the toe end portion of upper materials before they are mounted on the last, but it will be recognized that in many of its useful aspects the invention is not liinitedto moldingotifithe last.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 shows the toe portion of assembled uppersniaterials, wth opeuingsformed inthe margin of the upper for the purposes of the l5 .iresent invention 7 hOW'tlIQStillGDlHg material is made to flow Fig.'.2 illustrates the molding of the toe iportionof the upper materials off the last ito tproduce a molded toe adapted to be assembled with a welt shoe insole, and shows composition material which is normally hard 1 but is capable of being. rendered more or less fluentand adhesive,-as by the application of :heat. The drawings show .a stiffener 2 which in accordance with one well-known 0 practice is secured bystitches between the ;leather upper sand the lining-6 of the shoe. The leather upper, as shown in Fig. 1, is -pro vided along-the mar in ofthe toe portion :with a plurality of openings or perforations 15 8-whioh may be formed at any convenient time in the preparation of the. upper materials. *lVhile the invention is not limited in respect tot-he number or character of these openingsyitwill usuallybc preferable for the purposes. in view to provide a plurality of openings about the .toe end of the upper, as illustrated. The openings or perforations may advantageously be elon ated in the direction of the length of the marginal edge o'f the upper, as shown. in order to increase the holding effect of the. stiffening material without an undesirable increase in the extent of the openings.widthwise of the margin of the upper. welt shoe inanufacture the openings will preferably be located in that portion of. the margin of the upper which is to be shaped into an upstanding flange to lie against the rib of the insole and will preferably be -lo- For the purposes of the inverted shoe, so as to avoid any tendency to weaken the inseam.

'lVhile the invention, as above suggested, is not limited in utility to welt shoe work nor to molding the upper off the last, the drawings'illustrate such a molding operation on welt shoe upper materials between an inner form a and end ciiibi'ac-ing wipers, one of which is shown at b, Fig. the form having an edge recesssubstantially right angular in cross section to provide an upstanding shoulder 0 against which the margin of the upper materialsis pressed by the wipers to produce an upstanding flange at right angles ,to a portion of the materials which is molded tolie upon the feather of the insole. 1t will be noted by reference to Fig. 2 that the openingsin the upper are located in that portion of the margin of the upper which is subjected to molding pressure between the shoulder c on the form and the co-operating edge faces of the wipers and are above the apex of theangle betweeirthe upstanding flange and the portion of the upper which is to lie upon the feather of the insole. It will be understood that at the time of the molding operation the stiffener will be softened in any well-known manner, for example by the application of heat before the upper inatei-ialsare mounted on the form, in order to render it pliable with the stiffening material in a soft and adhesive condition. As the marginal portion of the upper materials is subj cted to pressure between the form and the wipers the stiffening material is forced bythe pressure into the openings 8 iii the upper, as illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be understood that if the upper were shaped on the last substantially the same result would .the form and assembled with an insole 10 on a last12 in the manner illustrated in 3. It will be evident that .as a result of the upper shaping operation above described the hardened stiffener has integral therewith in each of the openings 8 in the upper a projection 14 formed of stiffening material which adheres to the edges of the opening and serves in addition fo the adherence of the stiffening material tothe inner surface of the margin of thecupper to prevent the upstanding margin from springing outwardly away from the lining. It will also be evi- .dent that by reason of; the arrangement of the projections 14 on the stilfenei' they serve additionally to prevent the, upstanding marca-tcd above the line of inseam stitches on win of the upper from springing upwardly invention are not dependent upon the character of the upper materials, it is contemplated that the inventionvvill be particuaway from that portion of the stiffener and the lining which isshaped to lie upon the feather of the insole, and thus insure that the upper will lie closely in the angle between the feather and the rib of the insole .at the time of the inseam sewing operation,

as is obviously desirable for the best results in securing the welt and the upper materials to the insole. ll ith the openings in the up per arranged as shown, the inseam stitches will pass through the upper below the openings.

VVhilehthe utility and advantages of the larly useful Where the leather of the upper isof an oily character or where for this or any other reason the stiffening materlal may fill fail to adherereadily to the inner surface of the upper leather. Where such conditions .are encountered, for example, in welt shoe manufacture, there is a tendency for the angular-1y shaped marginal portion of the leather to springaway from the stiffening material, with the result that the angle be tween the upstanding flange of the upper and the portion whichis shaped to lie upon the feather of the insoleniay be widened more or less, making difficult in the infseani sewing operation to secure the upper materials and the welt closely in the angle between the feather and the rib of the insole.

, By the use of the method of this'invention the holding effect of the stiffening material is substantially increased, both by reason of the adherence of the material to the edges of the openings in the upper and also by the action of the outwardly extending projections of the stiifeningmaterial in holding the upstanding'margin of the upper closely down in the angle defined by the upper shaping operation. It is contemplated that the additional insurance thus afforded against distortion of the shape of the upper inaterials will be a substantial advantage not only Where the materials are to be relied upon to maintain the shape imparted to them until the upper fastening operation Without the use of'extraneous fastening means about the end of the upper, but also Where such fastening means may be employed to supplement the action of the stiffening material in the interval between the upper shaping and upper fastening operations.

Having explained the nature of the invention and set forth fully how it may be practiced, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of shaping shoe upper materials including an upper and a lining and stiffening material which is capable of flowing under the application of pressure, which consists in providing a portion of the upper materials which is to be subjected to upper shaping pressure with one or more openings to receive said stiffenupper and a lining and stiffening material between the upper and the lining, which consists 1n providmg the marg nal portion of the leather upper with one or more openings and by the application of pressure forcing the stiffening material into said opening or openings in the upper to assist in holding the upper in shape. 7

3. That improvement in methods of shaping an end portion of shoe upper materials including an upper and stiffening material which is capable of flowing under the application of pressure, which consists in forming at themarginal portion of the upper a plurality of openings in different locations about the end of the upper, and by the application of pressure causing the stiffening material to flow into said openings to assist in holding the upper materials in shape.

a. That improvement in methods of shap ing an end portion of assembled shoe upper materials which consists in form ng a plurality of openings along the margin of said materials, applying pressure to said ma- Elf) adapted to be rendered fluent and adhesive,

which consists in forming in the marginal portion of the upper a plurality of openings in different locations about the end of the upper, applying pressure to the upper materials While the stiffening material is in a fluent and adhesive condition to shape the materials over a form and to force the stiffening material into said openings, maintaining the shaping pressure until the stiffening material has substantially hardened, and

thereafter removing said pressure and utilizing the stiffening material to hold the different upper materials in shape until they are secured to the insole.

6. That improvement in methods of shaping an end portion of shoe upper materials including a lining and a leather upper provided With an edge surface on its marginal portion and having between the upper and the lining stiffening material which is capahle of flowing under the application ot'pressure, which consists in applying shaping n'essure to the upper materials and the application of such pressure on the marginal portions of said materials causing the stitfening material to flow over said edge surface of the leather upper to assist in binding the marginal portions of the different materials together.

That improvement in methods of shaping the toe end portion of welt shoe upper n'iaterials including stiliening material which is capable flowing under the application of pressure, which consists in tor-mingin that portion of the margin ot' the upper materials which is to provide an upstanding welt attaching flange one or more o1 )e-nings to receive said stiffening"material, and by the application of pressure forcing the stitl'ening material into said opening or openings to assist in holding the upper materials in shape.

' 8. That improvement in methods of shaping the toe end portion of welt shoe upper materialsincluding stifi'ening material which is normally hard but adapted toberendered fluent and adhesive, which consists in formingin a portion of the margin of theupper materials which is to providean upstanding welt attachingflange a plurality of 0penings adaptedto receive said stiffening material, applying shaping pl'essure to the upper materials While the stitfening materi a1 is in a fluent and adhesivecondition and by pressure applied at the margin of the materials forcing the stiffeningfiiiaterial into aid openings, maintaining the pressure on the margin of theupper materials until the stiffening material has substantially hardened, and thereafter removing said pressure and utilizing the stiffening material to bind the marginal portions of the different upper materials together in the shape acquired until they are secured to an insole.

9. That in'iprovement in methods of shaping the toe portion of Welt shoe upper materials including a leather upper and a lining and stiffening material between the upper and the lining, which consists in torming 1n sure to the upper materials and by pressure i at the margin of said materials forcing the stitl ening material into said openings, and utilizing the st ili'ening material in said openings after said material has substantially hardened to assist in holding the marginal portion of the upper in the angular shape acquired in the application of the shaping pressure.

10. 'lhat improvement in methods of shaping the toe portion of Welt shoe upper materials including stiffening material Which is capable of flowing under the application of pressure, whichconsists in forming along that portion of the margin of the upper materials which is to provide an upstanding welt attaching flange and in locations spaced from the location of the welt attaching sea-m a plurality of openings adapted to receive the stiiiening material, applying pressure to shape the upper materials, and by the application of pressureon the margin of the materials causing the stiffening material to flow into said openings to assist in niaintaining the marginal portion of the materials in the angular shape acquired in the application ot'the upper shaping pressure.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ERIC A. HOLMGREN.

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